Frequently rehearsed narratives of Translation Studies typically trace the origins of the discipline to James Holmes’s 1972 paper, ‘The Name and Nature of Translation Studies’, and suggest that little of interest happened prior to that date, or at least prior to the 1950s. Reflections on translation from earlier periods have been characterised as sterile, imprecise, or circular, or as taking place outside the bounds of academic or scientific endeavour. Teleological narratives of disciplinary progress and development have been widely reproduced and accepted. In this conference, participants explore the period in which ‘nothing happened’, challenging the ‘mythhistory’ (Brian Baer 2020) of Translation Studies from a wide range of geographical and historical perspectives. 

Please note that the closure date for In-Person bookings will be the 24th October 2023.